Resilient Bridgman

Located 80 miles east of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, Bridgman is one of several Michigan "beach towns" that are working to understand and address how rapid economic changes and increasing climate variability will be felt by the unique communities that lay along the Great Lakes shoreline.

The mission of the Resilient Bridgman project is to foster and support community‐wide planning efforts to develop a new master plan for the City of Bridgman. The process will help Bridgman assess its current infrastructure and projected needs, its energy systems, fluctuations in its economy and housing base, and environmental concerns particular to lakeshore communities.

The master plan update inventory and assessment will include a dedicated public outreach and community input process that involves interviewing city staff as well as business owners, homeowner, and stakeholders; hosting public open house events and guest speaker panels; and surveying the community at various public events. 

The nonprofit Land Information Access Association (LIAA) is assisting Bridgman in this undertaking. Working with project partners from around the state, LIAA will provide a full range of professional planning and technical support services to the Resilient Bridgman project.

By working together, Resilient Michigan master plans help to draw out the commonalities that are important among residents, and provide a community the framework to steer the direction of growth and shape the future of these treasured communities. Visit Resilient Michigan to learn more about Planning for Resilient Communities.

Generous funding for the Planning for Resilient Communities program has been provided by the Kresge Foundation, the Americana Foundation, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, and the University of Michigan Water Center.